Is Steady State Cardio Worth It? Zone 2 vs HIIT for Fat Loss and Health

Yes. Steady state cardio is worth it. Easy, conversational cardio builds your aerobic base, helps your heart and burns about as much fat over time as interval training, with less wear on your body. For most people I program two to four Zone 2 sessions a week, add one or two short interval sessions, and keep lifting as the priority.

What is steady state cardio?

Steady state cardio means holding one steady effort for 20 to 60 minutes. Zone 2 is the easy end of it, roughly 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate. You can breathe through your nose most of the time and talk in full sentences. Brisk walking on an incline, easy cycling, the elliptical, rowing and easy jogging all count.

Is HIIT better than steady state for fat loss?

Not by much. A meta-analysis comparing interval training with moderate continuous cardio found both reduced body fat by similar amounts (Wewege et al., 2017). Another found intervals produced slightly more total fat loss, mostly because sprint-style sessions burn a lot in little time (Viana et al., 2019). The difference is small. HIIT saves time. Steady state is easier to recover from and easier to do often.

The extra calorie burn after HIIT is real but small, usually tens of calories rather than hundreds (Borsheim and Bahr, 2003).

Who should do more steady state cardio?

• Beginners and anyone returning after time off
• People carrying a lot of weight or with sore knees, hips or back, using walking, cycling or swimming
• People with a stressful job or poor sleep who cannot recover from frequent hard sessions
• Lifters who want cardio that does not eat into their leg days

Who benefits from intervals?

• People short on time
• Athletes who need to train speed and repeat efforts
• Fit people who already have a good aerobic base

Keep HIIT to two or three sessions a week at most. More than that and it starts to wear down your lifting and recovery.

What other kinds of cardio count?

You do not have to live on a treadmill. These all work:

• Circuits of kettlebell swings, burpees, mountain climbers and jump squats with short rest
• Loaded carries like farmer’s walks, suitcase carries and front-loaded carries
• Battle ropes, 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off for 10 to 15 rounds
• Sled pushes or incline treadmill walking, easy on the joints for heavier clients
• Boxing pad work or heavy bag rounds
• Dance classes, if it means you will actually show up

How much cardio should I do each week?

The baseline for health is at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, plus two days of strength training (CDC). For fat loss, these are my starting templates:

• Fat loss: three to four Zone 2 sessions of 30 to 45 minutes, plus one or two 15 to 20 minute interval sessions
• Keeping muscle during a cut: two to three Zone 2 sessions of 20 to 30 minutes, one circuit day and one carry day
• Muscle building: two short Zone 2 sessions a week to keep your heart healthy without cutting into recovery

Always lift three to five days a week on top of this.

What are signs I am doing too much cardio?

• Your lifts are going down
• You feel tired all the time and sleep poorly
• You are hungrier than usual and cravings are up
• You keep adding cardio and the fat is not moving

If that is you, cut back, sleep more and look at your food first. More cardio is rarely the fix for a stalled diet.

For more, read can lifting weights help you burn fat, will walking help me lose weight and benefits of using a heart rate monitor. If you want cardio and lifting programmed for your body type, take the XPL quiz.